European Explorer: EXTREMELY late/long REVIEW

[cruisingallover]

Our day in Genoa was entirely different than bluenoser2 even though we went to Portofino also. We walked from the port about 10 minutes to the train station. Truthfully I was not impressed with Genoa. The port area looked seedy to me.....much like many port cities.

 

We met 2 other couples on the train platform, Dr. Gary and his wife Colleen, Mike and his wife Tammy. The four of them were travelling together. It became a running joke between all of us as after that day we ran into them at every port. We have become friends since and plan to cruise together in the future.

 

We spoke to them on the train about our plans for the day and we all decided that we would spend the day together. Dr. Gary is from an Italian background but spoke no Italian. So we became the "Italian tour guides" :D

 

Getting to Portofino was easy but required a 1.5 hour train ride (just a few Euros) to St. Margherita and than a 15 minute taxi ride (we got a van for 5 Euros per person) to Portofino.

 

Portofino is a small, enchanting and picturesque fishing village on the Italian Riviera. The town crowed round its harbour and it is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports. It is now the darling of the rich and famous with many high end shops, restaurants and hotels.You will see many large private yachts as well.

 

We arrived much sooner than the Princess crowds with their stickers on their clothes wet....yes a few were green :eek:

 

We spent a few hours visiting the main sights.....Castello Brown for great panoramic views, lots of stair climbing, Church of St. George, Church of St. Martin and Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta. We also visited the local cemetary which was quite beautiful and the park full of modern art. We also stopped for gelato.

 

We took a different route back to the ship. We went on the same type of ferry that Princess used back to St. Marguerita. I believe the cost was approx. 6-8 Euros per person but don't quote me. It was a smooth and pleasant sail. Once there we stopped at one of the restaurants where we enjoyed lunch on their outdoor patio. Lunch consisted of fried calamari, pasta, pizza and lots of wine. The espresso we had at the end was one of the best we have ever had. After lunch we waddled back to the train station and back to Genoa and back to our ship. We got back a couple of hours before sailaway. It was a wonderful day and had we known you were on that tour we would of kidnapped you from them :cool:

[bluenoser2]

Baby steps, baby steps....I convinced DH and Dad that we could do Genoa on our own. Not being exactly sure of how much Dad could take in the heat, we opted to get a taxi (15 euros for the 3 of us) to get us to the central area of the city.

 

 

 

That was easy, and from there we went off on our walking tour that I had snagged off of one of the boards on CC. Paul was a great tour guide, and he loves navigating on foot, which he did very well. We walked around Casa Columbus (where I became some stranger’s personal photographer...I took a couple of pictures of him and for him, and then he kept asking for just one more...over here now, .....I escaped).

 

 

 

I love walking through a new-to-me city and trying to “get” its character. Streets that were like alleys, cobblestones, laundry hanging high overhead out of windows, flowers spilling over balconies everywhere. Paul thought it was a little like Venice, just a bit dirtier (and missing the canals of course). We strolled through the harbour area, the markets, and ended up giving others the directions back to the ship, which really was an easy walk for us. I’m still glad we did the taxi one way for Dad’s sake. Paul and I would have been fine to walk it both ways though.

 

 

 

 

The cold-wet-towel givers were on hand again, and I wiped yet more salt from the morning off of me! Definitely time for a shower.

 

For the first time on any of our cruises we actually used the pools! (I was after all, determined to use EVERY item I packed for myself in that suitcase I was so glad to get!). So with freshly baked warm peanut butter cookies in hand (and milk, which was also a tad warm), we RELAXED poolside. Ice cream was the next need for Paul, but he couldn’t find anything. This provoked quite a “discussion” as to whether the Crown indeed had an ice cream bar and/or a pizza place. I KNEW it did, because I’m a faithful CC person, and after all, the Emerald did. DH firmly said, no, there is none we haven’t seen it anywhere. I showed him it on the deck plan. We had never been by it. So we methodically started at one corner and continued around the perimeter, keeping our eyes peeled and vowing not to become distracted and wander off course. We, of course, found it. He got his ice cream. He was happy. I was right. It was all good.

 

We went back to the Michelangelo dining room and the hostess there saw Dad, and came right over to him and gave him a hug....well, I knew right then, that the Da Vinci room would no longer be seeing us. She was great, and every night she had a hug for Dad. We chose to share a table again, and went immediately to a table for 8. Soon everyone was chatting with someone, and we had a great meal. My 3 star item at this meal was the spinach salad. I was only able to give the veal scaloppini one star, and the peach soup and tiramisu each got 2 stars. Paul loved the home-style chicken cutlet and gave it 3 stars. (Well, I gave it 3 stars on his behalf.) We went to the production show “What a Swell Party” while Dad went to the string quartet in Explorers. I don’t know how he did at his event, but we only made it to the ½ hour mark before calling it quits, and chose to return to the room and watch Star Trek instead.

[FishinChris]

Great review and pictures! Thank you.

[tequilasunrise]

Really enjoying your review, thanks for writing it and including pictures!

[bluenoser2]

This day might well be entitled GAWKING DAY for us hosers from the wilds of Nova Scotia. As soon as we were finished breakfast, we headed up to the top to begin our gawking at the yachts in the harbour of Cannes. We’ve been to some harbours before, but this was mighty impressive, if you’re into that sort of thing. We even saw one vessel that was from Halifax! (It looks a lot larger in the Halifax harbour I must say.)

 

We tendered to shore for our “Monaco and Monte Carlo on Your Own” excursion. Again, this was the compromise with DH – safety of the ship’s tour, with the independence of not being shuffled along everywhere by the tour guide. We met our keeper Antonella, at the bus, and boarded for our drive to Monaco. Remember Stephano, the quiet lad from Genoa? Sigh. I miss him. Antonella never stopped talking all the way to Monaco, and then some. I’m not sure she even breathed along the way. It was a pleasant enough drive, if not a bit of overload on the information.

 

We arrived in Monaco and after MUCH instruction, headed from the parking garage to fresh air via escalator/elevator/escalator. Feeling victorious at being above ground and “on our own” we were then given at least 15 minutes of tour by our enthusiastic guide. Some people seemed quite pleased that they were getting more than they paid for, but we were antsy to get going. Finally, we did manage to escape the watchful eyes of Antonella, and made a break for it.

 

 

Our time in Monaco was then very enjoyable. We were just in time for the changing of the guard at the palace. The place was mobbed, hot and sunny. The breeze was lovely. While everyone else was entertained by the changing of the guard, I was most taken with watching the 21 Camera Salute – well, more like 2100 Camera Salute. I couldn’t really see where I was anyway, so I did a lot of people and bird watching while Paul was responsible for filming and watching the event. It was on a pretty small scale, but we can say we were there for it.

 

 

We broke our promise to the girls and did enter the cathedral (it was hot outside, and so nice and dark looking inside....), saw the Rainiers’ and Princess Grace’s final resting places, and we were ready to be back outdoors.

 

 

My favourite part of Monaco was the beautiful plants , trees and flowers in the gardens – we just strolled along the walkways and admired (gawked at) the yachts in the harbour and the beautiful blue water below. The security was pretty tight along those paths and anyone (DH included, much to his embarrassment) who ventured off the pathway and onto the pristine grass was officially whistled and “S'il vous plait”-ed at.

 

 

 

Catch of the Day: You have to picture this one….at our meeting place by a statue, people were continually standing on the base of the statue or leaning against it as they waited. Equally continual were the advances of the poor little man attendant/guard who would have to run from the ticket office 50 yards away, point at the sign which said “keep off” and quickly run back to his booth. We saw him do this 5 times in 10 minutes!

 

After securing a souvenir t-shirt for our NASCAR loving son, and overlooking the Grand Prix circuit, and more leisurely strolling, we met up with the group again, for the trek down to the coach and then the quick drive over to Monte Carlo. The casino was the focal point of this stop, but we enjoyed watching (gawking at) the cars.

 

 

 

 

It was also time for our gelato test, even though we had left Italy, we decided having an Italian tour guide was enough of an excuse to continue with the Italian treat. Raspberry today, and yummy. Is there ever a BAD gelato?

Amazingly, Antonella was quiet almost all the way back, so most of us slept, to be awakened by a gentle “Hellllllooooooooooo....I’m still here!” and more talking all the way to the tenders! Apparently everyone had gotten back from their tours at the same time, because the line-ups for the tenders were VERY long, but they moved steadily. We got there at 5:30 and were on the ship by 6:00.

 

This was French and Mediterranean Dinner night , and of course, we went to the Michelangelo, so Dad could get his hug. My fruit kebabs with cream were underwhelming as an appetizer, but the French Onion Soup, the Duck l’orange and the raspberry crème brulee all got 3 stars from me. Dad, who always likes to test us and see if we still mind being seen with him, ordered escargot followed by frog’s legs. We’ve been with him on other trips when he’s enjoyed bats and turtles, so this was nothing new.

 

Some internet time, making use of Dad’s platinum minutes to correspond with the DDs back home (who were having a marvellous time in spite of the math and told us we could stay away as long as we liked), the comedian show at Explorers which was pretty good, and that was all we could take for another full day of touring.

[icyfrost]

nice review and amazing pictures.

[franklin1]

We are enjoying your trip and the pictures are outstanding and I would like to know what kind of camera you have. Would love to know.

 

Thanks in advance

Nancy

[bluenoser2]

Thanks for all the positive compliments - I'm having so much fun re-living the cruise!

 

Franklin1, I just have an older model Kodak Easyshare camera - nothing special. I dream of having something more than that, but for now, I'd rather spend the money on travel!!! Some places you go, there's just no way to take a bad picture. I think these are some of the places - clear blue skies and all the foliage make it easy to snap lots of fun pictures.

[BettyPC]

I am enjoying your cruise! Thanks for sharing & posting all your great pictures!

[atlasali]

Enjoying both trips. It is interesting that one cruise port can generate completely different experiences.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for posting the great pictures.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Clutterlady]

Loving your review and photos.....thank you:)

[midwestsunshine]

Thank you for your review. Can't wait to hear about the rest. We had hoped to do this itinerary next summer and was disappointed when it wasn't offered. Hopefully it will reappear in the future.

[cruisingallover]

Are you sure we were on the same cruise bluenoser2???? LOL :D

 

We have been to Monaco before so we opted to go to Nice from Cannes..... the French Riviera. This became a scary adventure....more to come later.

 

Our day in Cannes started with an uneventful tender ride. There were plenty of private yachts here as well. There was one that had a helicopter on it....now that is money :cool:

 

We first walked to the Cannes film festival theatre where we took a picture of us on the red carpet. We then walked along the sea side took a turn inland and walked a couple of blocks till we fell upon an open market. I bought 2 very "french" looking tablecloths and wonderful scented french soaps. From there we walked to the train station got on a train to Nice. I believe the whole trip took less than an hour.

 

Once there we took a short bus ride to the Cours Saleya Flower Market. This area is for pedestrians only. The edges are lined with cafes and souveniur shops. Down the middle of the market you will see stands packed with veggies and produce, dry goods and of course many different type of flowers and flower arrangements.

 

We then went to Le Chateau for spectacular views of the city and sea. We took an elevator ride up for just a few Euros...totally worth it as the other option would to climb stairs on a very hot day. There is not much of a Chateau left but we enjoyed walking through the park.

 

Once we came down we we walked along the Promenade de Anglais. Here you will find a boardwalk (but with no boards more like interlocking bricks). There are many seaside restaurants along the beautiful beach with lounge chairs you could rent for the day. We walked about a mile and then saw the Princess tour :eek: They had a tram they were going on. We hopped on the following tram and viewed most of what we had seen but we did go through the Old City commonly known as Vieux Nice.

 

Once we got off we had a light lunch and headed back to the train station by bus. Once we got to the train station we bought tickets and ran to the train which was waiting for us. We then waited and waited and waited until we spoke to some of the other passengers who said they were waiting for over an hour. Apparently something had happened at the next train stop heading back to Cannes. We still had 2 hours before the ship left but panic did set in. We flew off the train and the hunt for a taxi began. We were not the only ones looking either. There were cruise passengers everywhere trying to hail a cab ride back. Not all of these were from Princess as there was a RCL cruise ship in port that day with us as well. One guy from the RCL ship was a taxi hog as he needed 4 taxis to get his party back. We had hailed one down and this guy had the gull to jump inside and say "take us as there ship is leaving 30 minutes later." We said "no way we hailed this one down first". This idiot got so angry he slammed the taxi door and then our taxi driver got out and wanted to punch this guys lights out. In the meantime we had bumped in to a young couple that were on our cruise and I asked them if they wanted to share a ride. They said "of course" and the four of us were on our way back "home". It took over an hour in traffic to get us there and 100 Euros which included a good tip. We made it back in time but the ship was very aware that the trains were having trouble getting in. We were late in departing as the Captain waited for everybody to get back onboard safe and sound.

 

Truthfully we were working on Plan B just in case she left without us. This was the first time we have cruised where we have ever encountered a problem with public transportation. Even with the expensive taxi ride back it was still less expensive than a ships tour and we get to tell every one about our adventurous day in Cannes/Nice. :)

[bluenoser2]

Are you sure we were on the same cruise bluenoser2???? LOL :D

There were plenty of private yachts here as well. There was one that had a helicopter on it....now that is money :cool:

 

 

What an exciting day you had Cruisingallover! Did you see how SMALL that helicopter looked sitting on top of that huge yacht?!!

 

I remember the line-ups for the tenders being long because of the train problem....and you have the story to go with that part! Excellent. We Canucks make a pretty good team.

 

Stay tuned for Barcelona....

[bluenoser2]

This European Explorer Cruise is not for the faint of heart! With a port intensive expedition such as this, there’s not much space for “rest”. So when Day 5 dawned, a Saturday actually (not that it felt like a typical Saturday), we were happy to have a day totally to ourselves with no deadlines, meeting points, or schedules to follow. I had totally convinced Paul that we could manage Barcelona, even as first-timers, on our own, so we began with a leisurely breakfast with Dad in the dining room. For the record, I eat far more in the Dining Room than I do at the buffet...if those waiters wouldn’t come around with croissants and those sugar-sprinkled donuts, I’d be fine, but I have no won’t- power when they do.

The Crown was docked at “D”, the furthest berth from everything, so we elected to use the Princess shuttle, which we reasoned was a justifiable luxury – we COULD have walked it, but with all the walking we were planning for the day, decided a little break would be nice to start and end with. We were right.

 

 

It was our coolest day yet, partly cloudy and 24 degrees Celsius – I can’t remember what that is in Fahrenheit – but still nice and comfortably warm. The shuttle bus was a very short ride, and from its stopping point we were able to walk to the Christopher Columbus monument in 2 minutes. The walking maps taken off the internet were brought out, unfolded and studied before we began our trek up Las Ramblos, the pedestrian street. We were there at 9:30ish, and it was great fun to watch the markets just setting up for the Saturday shoppers, as well as all the living statues putting their silver and gold makeup on and wriggling into their costumes. We felt like we were getting backstage peeks at everything. Since nothing was really open yet, we walked all the way up and continued on, deciding to explore Las Ramblos at our leisure on our way back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we started our architectural tour and sought out as many of Gaudi’s buildings as we could manage on foot. One we found by accident (they’re pretty easy to spot – so different from anything else) and one we were more intentional about. Then it was on and over to Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s as-yet still under construction cathedral. There were massive line-ups to go inside, and we were happy to just circle around it to see what stage it was at. Perhaps we’ll be blessed enough to be able to return when it’s finished and THEN we’ll go inside!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for a break in a lovely park, and enjoyed watching the locals about their Saturday tasks and leisure. A group of older men playing Bocce was a particular vignette that I love remembering about this time, and how they all packed up and went their separate ways promptly at noon, to go home for lunch, I suppose.

 

 

The Gothic Quarter was the next area we explored. In addition to getting sore necks from all our study of the buildings and looking up all the time, we found some very interesting sights and sounds in and around the place. One that was certainly not on the map, and that we totally didn’t expect, was the group of 10 or so (I really wasn’t looking closely enough to count) totally naked men riding bicycles. (There are no pictures of this.) In the Quarter there were courtyards around every bend, and I loved the surprises found there (no bicyclists)...the most amazing musicians just doing what they do, with superb acoustics – we lingered in a couple of these places to listen to the guitarists, and then the drummers and soprano sax player.

 

 

Florence began to get a whole lot more bold about her photo ops around this time. She liked the size and color of this vehicle. (Matched her ensemble.....)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked and shopped our way back down Las Ramblos, which by this time was VERY busy, nothing like the start of our route! We were glad to step on the shuttle and be driven back the rest of the way to the ship. There were 5 big ships in port that day, but the city absorbed everyone easily and it never seemed too crowded anywhere.

 

 

 

We got our bathing suits, and headed poolside for some lunch pizza (I had tuna and onion pizza – I probably would never have that again, but if you thought of it as a tuna sandwich it wasn’t so bad). We used the MUTS pool and it was fun to be back before a lot of the other people and there’s something about swimming and watching “This is It” (Michael Jackson) that was a unique experience in itself. There was a flamenco demonstration in the theatre, which I watched a bit of, but I get too sleepy in dark places after all that walking, so I decided a visit to the International Cafe would be more appreciated, if not necessary. I tried some yummy peanut butter mousse-y type thing. Paul opted for fresh cookies by the pool as usual.

 

 

 

Up to this point we had been doing dinner in the dining room around 7:00 p.m. and never having to wait – probably because we shared tables some of the evenings. Tonight we opted to do an earlier dinner at 6:00, and I suppose because this was Barcelona, most people were out as long as they could be. There was practically no one there. After the daily hug from Zanina, the hostess, we went to an actual table for 3, and had 5 waiters tending to our needs! They were so attentive; I almost didn’t have time to enjoy looking at ... The PRINCESS DINENER. The mushroom tart and the orange soufflé were the 3 star winners tonight – can’t get enough of those dessert soufflés! We were all done before 7:30, so a walk on the Promenade was called for. We watched the bartenders do their martini making in the Piazza – they weren’t REALLY very good – one had a very messy shirt by the time he was finished juggling his (open) bottles! We went to the comic juggler performance in the theatre, lots of space at 8:00 but by 8:30 it was definitely full. I laughed a lot at this one, he was very entertaining and there was lots of audience participation. We watched Passenger Feud, and the ventriloquist in Explorers, a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent – apparently Simon Cowell didn’t like him – we weren’t impressed either, so we left.

 

Catch of the Day: At one of our meals, upon finding out where we were from, we were asked, in all seriousness, “isn’t Halifax where some of the Titanic survivors were buried?” - think about it, you’ll get it.

 

 

 

When we retired for the evening, we had a note from the tour desk saying that 50% of our excursion to Portofino had been refunded, and apologizing for any trouble it caused. That was nice, especially since Paul enjoyed it so much!!!

[Alessandrina]

Funny, the Catch of the Day!!!

 

Cheers!

[cruisingallover]

bluenoser2 you are right that heli looked very small upon that yacht :)

 

We Canucks might have the longest review in history ;) now if we could only win the Stanley Cup before DH retires :eek:

 

I really do not have a lot to contribute to this one as we have been to Barcelona more times than I can count.

 

We have stayed at Hotel Colon (just across from the Cathedral in the Gothic Quarters) and Hotel Regina ( the top of Las Rambals) pre and post cruise. We were very happy with both.

 

Since this time it was just a port of call we decided we were going to have a lazy day. We got off the ship at our leisure and took the local bus (3-4 Euros) that dropped us off at the foot of Las Ramblas. We walked up but it was very early and the stalls were just setting up and most of the stores were closed as bluenoser2 noted. We knew we wanted to go to the Mercat de Sant Josep for a proscuitto sandwich so we headed there first for brunch. It is a traditon we must uphold. 6 very thin slices cost us 10 Euros :eek: It is has been aged for 10 years and it is the very best. We winded our way in and out of the charming streets just off Las Ramblas as we have many times. However it never ceases to amaze me as we always see something new. DH bought cigars that he smoked later that night in the Cigar Lounge. I bought myself a pearl necklace and a few souveniers for others. Of course we bumped into Dr. Gary and gang. What are the chances in that mob.

 

Not sure what time we got back to the ship but headed to the pool to relax and enjoy the rest of our day. The ship was still pretty empty as there were a lot of tours offered that day.

 

It was a relaxing day. I love Barcelona but one must be mindful of their surroundings and beware of pick pockets. It is ranked at the top of the "list". One year I was in a dressing room and my DD called me next door to see her outfit. I, thank God, brought my purse....when I returned to change into my own clothes my Fendi sunglasses were gone :mad:

 

Things to do if I was a first timer.... for sure the hop on hop off bus. It has 3 routes and will take you to all the must sees. It is good value for your money. You can get a 1 or 3 day pass depending on your length of stay.

 

Things I recommend you see or do other than those I have mentioned above are:

 

Parc Guell the views of the city are great....Gaudi achitecture and his home is on the property.

 

La Segrada Familia wil not be finished till at least 2020. We were told they have enough money to complete it but there are not enough artisans. Nothing inside bluenoser2 it is still empty. We climbed up one year...good views but not worth the money ...long queues also.

 

Picasso Museum

 

Passeig de Gracia is like 5th Avenue in NY with lots of high end shops, restaurants and hotels.

 

Certainly enough for one to see in one or two days.

 

Looking forward to your next port of call and then I will follow as usual :D

[TravelnAl]

After the daily hug from Zanina, the hostess, ...

 

We were also on the Cruise. It was enjoyable to see Zanina each evening when we went to the dining room. She really brightened things up.

[pg.]

Totally enjoying both reviews,, love the photos too Bluenose. Can't wait for rest of it.

[bluenoser2]

Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but I was SO ready for a sea day by this point. It was pure luxury to be able to sleep in (I made it to 7:00 a.m.!) and relax all day. We met for breakfast in the buffet (DH’s favourite breakfast place) and the place was very quiet – must have been lots of other passengers ready for a sea day too! We attended the church service in Explorers before going out for our constitutional stroll. After so much walking in the ports we were afraid our legs might go into withdrawal from lack of use, so we were determined to do the circuit for an hour. This was more challenging than we first thought, since the promenade wasn’t fully accessible and we had to change our route in several places where repairs and maintenance were going on. We ventured to the Lido deck to try and do our power walk up there, but people are much slower on that deck (must be the lethargy setting in from all the food at the buffet), so we returned to the Promenade deck. We had faithfully kept to our promise to never use the elevator on this trip, and kept repeating “the stairs are our friend...the stairs are our friend....” hoping to convince ourselves.

 

11:00 was the sushi and fruit/vegetable centrepiece making demonstration – how could we not go to that? Then to the library to find a book; actually to FIND the library was my challenge – nothing else was as easy for me to misplace on this trip as the location of the library (except perhaps the Pizza place), but I was successful. Lunchtime came, and with it my opportunity to check another item off my “gotta do” list – to have lunch at the Wheelhouse Bar and try the fish and chips. The guys accommodated my whim and even though there was quite a line-up there, it moved very quickly and because we were willing to share a table, we got in really quickly. Our tablemates were from Russia, and the language barrier proved too much for them to engage in conversation. The meal was great and VERY filling – I’ve never had mushy peas before and if anyone can tell me what exactly goes into them (besides the obvious), I’d love to hear it.

 

 

 

 

CHAIR HOG?

 

 

There was lots of time for pool, pizza, reading, dozing, and watching movies in the afternoon, followed by formal night. We arrived at the dining room around 7:50 and were in right away, while most people were still milling around the champagne waterfall. My 4 star item tonight was the crabmeat quiche, but the chocolate hazelnut soufflé was a close second with 3 stars. Dad had the halibut, and Paul the Cornish Hen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did some people (gown) watching afterwards – one couple was literally dressed as royalty, and to balance that there were 3 who went into the dining room in jeans and t-shirts.

 

 

Catch of the Day: “...so, what side of the road DO Canadians drive on?”

- So many witty answers, and so little time. ("The middle", or "Roads? What roads?" are two possible answers, depending on one's locale.)

[cruisingallover]

Our day was very uneventful compared to yours bluenoser2.

 

We slept in till very late, had brunch at the Horizon and then spent the full day at the Sanctuary till we had our couples massage....269.00. We were almost asleep when we were both gently nugged and told to look out into the sea as there were a school of dophins swimming nearby :)

 

After such hard work we took a nap before getting ready for dinner. We did not go to the champagne waterfall as we have seen it many times. We had a wonderful meal though I do not remember what we had. Frankly, we did not have a bad meal period. Francesco the Maitre D often would have the Chef prepare us something off the menu. One night they made us home made Sicilian Cannoli (an Italian pastry). No one could possibly ever go to bed hungry. I hate complainers in regard to food. I know it is a subjective matter but if you do not like something just ask for something else.

 

We did not go to many of the shows but we often would give a donation to the casino. On this cruise we did manage to take home 500.00+ of their $$$.......for a change. :D

[atlasali]

Florence is not a chair hog. Florence is actually sitting on the chair, as opposed to those who simply drop a book or a bag on a chair, then leave for the day. I often wonder whether that book has enjoyed its time basking in the sun.

[bluenoser2]

good point atlasali - and of course, Florence is a chair ZEBRA anyway.

[u2cruiser]

Really enjoying the reviews and pictures, thanks, and I love your humour :D

 

Mushy peas are simply dried peas, soaked overnight in water with a tablet of sodium bicarbonate. Rinsed, boiled and simmered in water with a pinch of salt until the peas break down and take in all the water. Not sure how Princess makes theirs or whether other ingredients are added.

 

Here, they are sometimes served much runnier, over a meat pie: pie and peas. :)